- Aid worker: Remote communities 'rebuilding with whatever they could find'
YANGON, Myanmar, June 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Even as desperate needs remain one
month after Cyclone Nargis, many affected communities in Myanmar's Irrawaddy
Delta are managing to survive and rebuild by pooling their resources and
demonstrating rare resilience, according to World Vision staff who recently
assessed the delta's Ngapudaw region. While many villages are receiving
assistance from aid agencies and local organizations, many basic necessities
are still desperately needed, the team found.
"One village we visited had been completely flattened," said World
Vision's cyclone response manager Steve Goudswaard. "They lost 237 out of 603
people there. The tragedy of the impact was etched on their faces, but people
were already rebuilding with whatever they could find."
On Friday, Goudswaard led a team of international relief specialists from
World Vision's Global Rapid Response Team into the Ngapudaw region of the
Irrawaddy Delta to assess existing programs and future needs for the people
there.
Goudswaard said he was amazed by the communities pooling their resources
to move forward. "They were mapping out where their homes would be rebuilt,
and cleaning out contaminated water points because they knew how important
clean, safe water was," he said.
However, communities are still in desperate need, Goudswaard added. Some
need emergency distribution of food, clean water and shelter. Others need
seeds and tools to help them plant crops before the end of the season in July.
The humanitarian community has seen an increase in access for staff and
supplies since the agreement between the UN, ASEAN and the government of
Myanmar. However, four weeks after the cyclone, access is still restrictive
for international staff, who are required to apply days in advance for
permission to enter the Delta.
Physical conditions still pose a major challenge for aid workers, with
poor transport and infrastructure blocking access to many communities in need.
To date, World Vision staff have concentrated on the immediate needs of
survivors, with food, shelter, clean water and child protection among the main
priorities. Despite the difficulties in reaching affected communities, World
Vision has provided assistance to over 250,000 people, and hopes to reach
nearly half a million with relief and rehabilitation in the first six months
of response. The organization hopes to remain in affected communities to
support rebuilding and livelihood initiatives for up to three years.
World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working
with children, families and their communities worldwide to reach their full
potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. Visit
http://www.worldvision.org/press.
SOURCE World Vision
Rachel Wolff of World Vision, +1-253-394-2214, Rwolff@worldvison.org, or Casey
Calamusa, +1-206-310-5476, ccalamus@worldvision.org
